Method of making building blocks



Jan. 15, 1935. F. J. STRAUB 1,987,721

METHOD OF MAKING BUILDING BLOCKS Filed May 11, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet l I l 1 1 l l I I n27 g i I 15. H

5 BY w v Jan. 15, 1935. F. J. STRAUB 1,987,721

METHOD OF MAKING BUILDING BLOCKS Filed May 11, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYI Patented Jan. 15, 1935 UNITED STATES.

PATENT OFFICE 'IClalms.

This invention refers to improvements in concrete building blocks, and particularly to the method and machine for producing the same.

' The method involves the making of a building block of a suitable mass of plastic aggregate in tom, and a machine for carrying out such method a side facing;

or process. Generally stated, the resulting block is similar in proportions and adapted for the same uses commonly in practice for utilizing such blocks in foundation, partition, or building walls or the like, and is' capable of being made of any ofthe various well known ingredients forming the raw material or aggregate, possessing the inherent qualities of strength, resistance, form, etc., with a finished smoothly troweled face.

In my prior Patents Nos. 1,532,359 .and' 1,692,- 355, I utilized a reciprocable side wall for the mold adapted to effect troweling movement in a vertical plane. In the present invention the initial troweling action is effected during and in direct opposition to the direction of the tamping blows, the block after complete tamping for the full development of the block being then partly rotated with the mold and its reciprocable bottom, whereby to facilitate upward ejection with continuous side troweling movement.

The invention is-illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a cross sectional view through the machine on the line I--I of Fig. 5, showing the machine and'block-in-process during the tamping operation;

Fig. 2 is an under sectional view on the line II-f-lI of Fig; 1;

Fig. 3 is a modified construction showing the mold and block as used in making a block with Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the finished block;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 1 show-. ing the mold thrownupwardly to ejecting position, with the cores withdrawn.

In utilizing the invention I provide an open top end walls 3-3, and continuously open at the side opposite the single side wall 2.

In the filling and tamping position such mold is held by its supporting frame with the edges of end walls 3 in close contact against the inner face of a stationarywall 4 of a core box 5 by gravity, or by an operating lever a.

The core box 5 is rigidly mounted on the supporting frame 6 at one side of the mold receiving space, and forms with the mold in such position a rectangular open top mold cavity adapted to receive the aggregate and the usual operating tamps '7.

One or more laterally moving cores 8 are adapted to be thrust inwardly through clearance openings 9 in wall 4 toward the opposite side wall 2 and against a pallet 10, with ample clearance between the core or cores and the end walls 3, for

the under edges of end walls 3 and the pallet 10,

and forming the bottom of the'mold when in charging and tamping position, as in Fig. 1. Wall 15 has guidestrips 15a and rests upon rollers 16 or the like, carried by shafts 17 mounted in a supporting frame 18 carried by the platform 14.

As thus constructed the entire mold and its mechanism is capable of being swung around shaft 12 to the discharging position, as in Fig. 6, merely by manual operation, as by a lever a. Such lever, or other suitable means, may if desired, be used to hold the edges of end walls 3 and of plate 15 in. close contact with wall 4 dur- I ing filling and tamping of the mold, in addition to normal gravitating tendency around the shaft 12.

Brackets 19 also extend outwardly from the main frame 6 beyond the shaft 12 and its bearings 20, and are provided with terminal supports 21 upon which the wall 2 of the mold is supported in ejecting position, as in Fig. 6.

The formed block in such position is ejected and bottom mold having a side wall 2, opposite upwardly from the mold by any suitable means,

as rods 22, extending upwardly through clearance openings in the side wall against the pallet 10.

For the purpose of continuously reciprocating the bottom plate or wall 15, I provide a motor M which is mounted by its base plate 23 upon a plate 24 of swinging arms 25, the several arms 25, 13, and 11 having the common mounting hubs 26 in swinging engagement with the shaft 12.

Motor M is provided with a pinion 2'7 engaging gear 28 of shaft 29 mounted in bearing 30 of arm and having a terminal cam or eccentric 31 in operative engagement with the shifting lever 32, as in Figs. 2 and 5. Lever 32 is longitudinally slotted for clearance and is pivotally mounted, as at 33, on the upper side of the bracket 34 of frame 18 and also has a clearance slot 35 engaging the stud 36 of plate 15.

By such construction, upon application of power from the motor, rotation of shaft 29 imparts a reciprocating movement to plate 15,

' rapidly moving it back and forth at varying positions of the mold, and during the molding, swinging, and ejecting operations.

The motor and its mechanism being mounted on the entire swinging frame, the several parts cooperate either in the initial stationary, intermediate moving, or final stationary ejecting positions. The result is to impart to the normal bottom or initial face of the block-in-process, which is eventually its side face in finished form, a smooth or approximately smooth troweled face b, greatly adding to the appearance, sufficiency and functioning of the block, either with or without paint or other suitable coloring.

One important advantage in the manufacture of the block is that, as the aggregate is successively charged into the mold, with contemporaneous tamping, the block is continuously C0119 densed in a direction opposite to the opposing supporting reciprocable plate 15. Continuous reciprocation of the plate during such manufacture tends to effect a high degree of assimilation of the aggregate, condensing and distributing the smaller particles toward the surface, and effecting a comparatively fine, dense texture condition and appearance, greatly exceeding the results possible where a mere reciprocation of a side wall is used in parallel with the charging and tamping directions.

The reciprocation of the plate during such tamping, and also during the part rotation of the mold and with continuance of reciprocation during ejection of the finished block, results in a high development of the smoothed surface appearance; and with accompanying density and elimination of the usual porous consistency present with certain rough cellular materials, such as cinder aggregate and the like.

Upon completion of the block and its ejection by pallet 10, the mold is then reversed to its initial position against wall 4, a new pallet is inserted, and the operation above described isrepeated, the motor M being continuously operative or disconnected from its power circuit if desired, during such reverse movement.

Instead of makingthe entire block of a continuously similar aggregate, it may be composed of a main body of aggregate 37 and a preliminary facing layer 38 of a different or finer aggregate, as in Fig. 3. In such case the preliminary layer 38, which may be of finely comminuted lime stone, granite, or other suitable surface material, is first charged into the mold on plate 15, and subjected to tamping and successive increments of the main body material 37.

The result of such operation is to produce a continuously formed building block having an exposure face for improved surface appearance, and a main body portion of cheaper or stronger aggregate, the operation resulting in the same density and other qualities in the troweled face, as above described.

Also, if desired, either with continuously similar or with the compound aggregate, an added effect may be secured by an initial or preliminary application of coloring material, either in dry or liquid form, over the surface, or only parts of the inner surface of plate 15, before application of the initial layer'of the aggregate. The effect of reciprocation of plate 15 is to distribute such coloring material evenly over the entire surface of the block-in-process, giving it an added appearance and inherent color effect within the judgment or preference of the operator.

Also, by applying the color in intermittent limited amounts variously over the bottom plate 15, it may be distributed only partially with intervening un-colored areas, giving a variable and artistic efiect to the surface within wide variations, dependent on the distribution. The surface may be developed to a high degree of smoothness, or may be only generally level and not actually smooth, dependent on variations in the acting surface of the plate 15, so as to vary the effect in simulation of various kinds of natural stone, or otherwise if desired.

It will be understood also that the block may be either cored or solid, as desired, and if solid the closing wall 4 should be continuous and imperforate.

The resulting block is inherently capable of being used in wall constructions to provide a finished interior or exterior suface, while retaining all of the essential qualities of the ordinary concrete building block of commerce. When used with an aggregate such as cinders, made in the conventional manner with cement and water. the inherent qualities of a cinder block per se according to my prior Patent No. 1,212,840 are retained, with the added advantages herein described.

It will be understood that the block may be made in various sizes, proportions, rectangular shapes, and of any suitable aggregate capable of being molded and dried, and that the invention may be changed or varied in different detail features or otherwise by the skilled mechanic, within the scope of the following claims.

What I claim is: v

1. The method of making a concrete building block consisting in compressing aggregate in a mold directly against a reciprocating surface disposed at right angles to the line of compressing force.

2. The method of making a concrete building block consisting in charging agg egate into and condensing the aggregate in a forming mold against a bottom plate and reciprocating the bottom plate during condensation.

3. The method of making a concrete building block' -iconsisting in condensing aggregate in a forming mold and simultaneously imparting troweling treatment by a reciprocating bottom plate to the initially formed face of the block transversely to the direction of condensing forces.

4. The method of making a concrete building block consisting in gradually forming and condensing aggregate outwardly from an initial reciprocating bottom plate face thereby imparting to the initial face of the block a troweling treattion, and then charging and condensing coarse aggregate to mold capacity, while maintaining bottom plate reciprocation.

'1. The method of making a concrete building block consisting in charging aggregate into and condensing the aggregate in a forming mold against a bottom plate and reciprocating the bottom plate during condensation, and then tilting the block, mold and bottom plate with outward removal of the block while maintaining plate reciprocation.

FRANCIS J. STRAUB. 

